So one of my fave “celebrity chefs”, Ina Garten has a new cookbook out called . I’ve had good times pouring through it and deciding what to make. The other day I was craving a nice big bowl of pasta so I gravitated towards her “Weeknight Bolognese” which I incidentally made on a Sunday night, go figure.
There is nothing revolutionary about this recipe. It’s just a really basic recipe for pasta with meat sauce. A pretty delicious recipe for pasta with meat sauce. And it’s easy. There aren’t any surprise ingredients and nothing too fancy. The wine is a great addition and adds a nice layer of flavour to things.
I really enjoyed the sauce but at the end kind of felt like I didn’t need a recipe to make this happen at all. I think next time I’d throw a bunch of these ingredients into a pot and let them simmer. If you’re new to making your own pasta sauce this would be a great recipe. It really is perfect for a weeknight supper and is so much better than opening up a jar of random sauce. Trust me.
Weeknight Bolognese
serves 4-5
2 TB good olive oil, plus extra to cook pasta
1 pound lean ground sirloin
4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 TB dried oregano
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 ¼ cups dry red wine, divided
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 TB tomato paste
Kosher salt & black pepper
¾ pound dried pasta, such as orecchiette or small shells (
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Heat 2 TB of olive oil in a large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling the meat until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 TB salt, and 1 ½ tsp pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
Finish the sauce while the pasta cooks. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining ¼ cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and ½ cup Parmesan and toss well. Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.
(Recipe from by Ina Garten)
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That looks so good Tonya! Fast and easy…the perfect after-work meal. I’ll have to try one day!
i dont even like pasta but that looks yummy
I want that cookbook. This looks really good. Thanks for sharing.
Seems like it would be watery and bland, looks a bit that way too. Check out Mario Batali’s, which is more labor intensive, but definitely authentic and great tasting.
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